Secret ballot.



- provide .a 'space for.

Nrinn strains-PATENT onirica LOUIS JOSEPH MOUNTZ, OF RICHMOND, `VIRGINIA.

SECRET i'sALLor.-

Application filed March 6', 1914. SeralNo. 822,950.

To all whom it may concern L Bel it known that L-Lorlis J. MoU-NT2, a citize'n'of the United States, andfa resident of Riclmioiidin the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, hareiniented a n ev and linp'roved Secret Ballot, of which the fol-- lowing is a full,'cleaij,k and exactdescription.

The object` of the invention is to, pro Vide. a new aiid'ini'proved secret ballot arranged to provide the desired crecy as far 'as the Voter is concerned, tti-prevent' abstraction of the bala lot from the ballot b'bx iiitliou't detection, to

mark to be made the voter, to prevent such naine oijiiiarltfffioiii being read by any person unless a' recount.' is ordered, and to allow ready Goliat-ing ofCtlie ballots iir-seiies with a vien;y to-r'eadilydetect any missing y ballots or surreptitiously addedlballots. Inorder to accomplish the desired resultuse is made of'a ballot sheet, comprising a series o f connected and singly detachableballots,'and an identification mark extending irregularly across .the `series of ballots so' that the'portions of the nia-rk ofthe in.

flot isj held up to the light.l

practical Aembed -ment'of the invention marks thereon, and 'adiacent 'this lspace and i's-representedin the accompanying draw* I' ings forming a pa'rtofthis specification, in

Which-similar characters of reference indicate corresponding'partsin-all the Views.

4Figure 1 is aplan View of a sheet of connected 'and singly detachable ballots Fig. 2.

i'sian enlarged 'plan' viewiof one of the ballots as received by 'the vo'ter from" vthe. election official; Fig-Bis a similar View of the "samei with the partsin position ready for disposition in the ballot'box; Fig. 4 is a similar View of the same ivitlithe flap open to disclo'sethe'secret' nia-rk of tlie'voter in 4"case a recount of the ballots is ordered by the proper authorities; Fig. 5 isacross section of the ballot on the line 5-5 -of Fig. Q;

Y Fig. Gis a similar View of the saine on the -vieW of the samev on the line 7-7 of Fi g. 4.

line 6-46 of Fig. -3; and Fig. 7 is a similar f Specification of Letters gPatent.'

the' `voters name or other Patented July is, wie.

' The ballots A arexprinted in series on I sheets of paper orother material. The sheet is provided with rows of perforatioiis ll' to separate the vballots A one from 'the other and to allowl convenient detachmentof the ballotssingly from the sheet.' The sheet of ballotsis provided with an identification inaik extendingirregularly across-the entire .sheet .and consequently across each of the.

ballots, so that the identification mark vof --any one ,ballot is Wholly unlike the identi- 'fication mark ofthe-"remaining ballots, as

vwill be readily' understood `by reference vto AFigs. l', 2,-v and 4. As-`s liown in these vigziures the identification lmark .consists oit'v printed -niarks'Q @and Water marks C', (TQ bothvin the form of undulating .lines {ii-. bands extending'irregularly 4across the slieetz; l

and consequently across 'eac1i ballot A. so

' tliatthe lines on one ballot are Wholly unlike j the lines on any one of-tlie other ballots in theseries. The ballots are .preferably pro- With numbers and the saine-number is used fora series oflballots '(sa-y l0),A so' that the ballots after removal from a ballot the addition of spurious"-ballots Without de tection by the proper officials box can .be readily assorted' and, placed' one y i lEach ballot A ispioyided with a heading Fi-for containing the usual 'legend as to the election, anda niain-bo-dyportioii F for the -naines'of candidates or other mattei' 'to be vvo-ted for. 'Qn the .lower end of each ballot A isairangeda space G onwliicli thewvoter can Write his naine or. make other iiitegralii'ith the ballot A is a'iiap 'H adapted to be folded over the space G to 4conceal the voters marks produced inthe said spare G. The flapH is provided with an .iut-ei' 'guinniedportiond adapted to be guiniiied onto the face of the ballot A directly above the space (i so as to prevent. unauthorized Tlie fare of the iiap'is closed the vband I o'vei'lies the volvi-s' =i`iiark and 'consequently'thesaid mai-k is rendered invisible eren iftl'u` ballot is luxld upto the light. ln order to further mui-ease the secrecy of the voters niark. the space (i is preferably provided with a lairkgi'oimd of lines` l( to prevent reading of the voler-fs 1 the latter is held upto the light.4 l the ballot-'A isA detached from the sheet 'and handed tothe voter by the election ofticial, andthen the 'voter provides the body ,if with the necessary marks to` indicate the 'persons 'or other matter -to be v'voted for; aier which the voter Write's'into the space (il his naine or any other desired' identificatien mark, such, for instance, as the-number of 'the tax receipt or the like, and-'then the voter closes the Alap'I'I andv astens the same by the gummedportion J onto the facey of the ballot so that thematterv :Written in the space Gr is completely concealed (see Fig; 3).-

Thisbauot is hanlda to uw eie'cfon'eaiciai byI the voter to be deposited in theballot box..I lIn ease a-recountfisordered Ithe Hap I'I can be f openedl byrslitting it along its,1

creaseat the bottom oft-he ballot to allow loliturning;the flap upward tol disclose the niarks- Writ-ten; by ythe voter in the space Gr,

4 thusI 'proving -lwh'ethe'r `the ballot is' genuine or'not. It will also be-.noticed that' .iny .a recount the ballots in a series can be readily placed `one alongside -the 'other so that their yfinarksC-and'C. register-,With each. other w ks from theirevers'e side of theballot.

Having thus described invention, ,I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. 'A ballot provided with .a spaceV forfre- ,nie/ans" to render the voters mark invisible.

y. 2. A ballot provided With aspace for re'-Y ceiving marks ofthe voter, and 'a' flap' p11-the ballot and 'adapted to be folded-over the said space .and secured ,to the -ballotl to' conceal the voters. mark," the "said larp beingprolvided with av printed band overlying the said voters niarlmvhen thefla'p is in closed f' position. .j l

. .'3. 'A ballot provided `with a space for relceiving marks of the voter, the said space `having a'--backgr'oundto` render'uthe nia-rk` illegible from'the reverse .side of the ballot :and ya gumni'ed flap on' the ballotI adjacent thesaidspace to ioverlie the; latter and-to be guvmrned to the ballot'. l l l In testimony-iwhereof I havelsigned my name tothis specification in-.thev presenc'eof tivo subscribing Witnesses.

, .LOUIS JOSEPH MOUNTZ. 

